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Sidney Crosby practice skate signals Penguins lineup boost ahead of key March games
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Taylor Haase reports Sidney Crosby looked fast in Cranberry, and the Pittsburgh Penguins' lower-body injury outlook suddenly feels way less scary.
Crosby worked with a staff member and a practice goalie, lots of hands and shots, with no obvious limits.
This matters because the Penguins already tagged his injury as a multi-week absence coming out of the Olympics.
If he is moving with full crossovers and tight turns now, the ramp back to team skates can get loud, fast.
Crosby's cap hit is still $8.7 million this season, and he carries a full no-move clause, so there is no roster math trick here.
The only path is simple, get him healthy, then get him back driving the middle and the first power-play touch.
Pittsburgh is 31-16-13, and they are banking points even while he sits.
That is why this skate update hits like a jolt, it keeps the "late March" window feeling realistic.
Sidney Crosby gives the Pittsburgh Penguins their edge back
You can feel the fanbase trying not to get its hopes up, but this is the kind of report that breaks the doom scroll.
Without Crosby, the Penguins have leaned harder on pace off the blue line and second-wave offense.
When he returns, the center-lane support comes back, and wingers stop forcing plays to the outside.
Even this season, Crosby's finishing still matters, he has 27 goals already.
The next checkpoint is Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, and every day he stays ahead of schedule changes the deadline vibe.
No one should treat a solo skate like a clearance, but speed and edgework are the last things you fake.
If the Penguins keep collecting wins now, they can drop Crosby back into meaningful games instead of rushing him into survival mode.
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Florida Panthers waive Tobias Bjornfot, Louis Domingue in cap-clearing move before trade deadline
Previously on HockeyUnplugged
| POLL | ||
MARS 4|201 ANSWERS Sidney Crosby practice skate signals Penguins lineup boost ahead of key March games Should Sidney Crosby return as soon as he's cleared from the lower-body injury? | ||
| Yes | 166 | 82.6 % |
| No | 35 | 17.4 % |
| List of polls | ||